The US Department of Education

The over four thousand employees in the department perform the functions allocated to them to facilitate achievement of its objectives. Since education is highly decentralized in the United States, the department of education is divided into three levels namely the national, state, and local level. All the levels work closely with each performing its specified functions although the state and local governments are heavily involved than the national government, (Ball et al, 23-86). This article aims to analyze the department of education including the national, state, and local levels as well as determining their similarities and differences. National Level The role of the federal government in education has been passive since when the department of education was formed. The schools are assessed to determine how they conform to the federal laws in promoting education and follow up on how they manage the funds allocated to them.

Finally, the national government ensures publication of recommended teaching strategies and materials through relevant federal agencies like National Science Foundation. State Level The standard and policies regarding education vary from one state to another and are both directed to bringing a positive impact on the quality of education offered. The states governments fall in between the government and the local governments in helping to guide education in each state. The main functions of the States governments concerning the department of education include the maintenance and operation of public schools, (Ball et al, 23-86). Another function of the state governments is to set mandatory requirements for students’ graduation. They ensure that all the schools follow the given state rules and regulations for courses. However, as much as the state governments set all the requirements, they allow the local governments to establish their own curricula according to their general state objectives, (Wilson et al, 37-132).

In most case, the delegate more of their authority to local governments because they only recommend a model curriculum framework. Local Level As mentioned above, the local governments are the main participants in the department of education. For community colleges, as much as the local governments provide some of the funding the state governments take the bigger responsibility for funding the colleges. The federal government also provides some of the funds. Local governments are involved in a wide range of issues in providing education including the selection of the courses to be offered. They also give directions concerning the appropriate places to locate schools by considering factors such as health as well as the role of schools in the community. The local governments take part in setting the achievement standards of schools.

The federal government allocates funds for education to all the district schools used especially for programs to assist students with disabilities. All the levels of the department of education also have the mandate to assess and determine the performance of all the schools to ensure they conform to the policies set by the respective government officials. The national government evaluates and assesses all the schools to provide them with the National Assessment of Educational Progress report. The state governments evaluate and assess their district schools to ensure that all the laws and policies that are passed by the public regarding the education system are reflected in all the public schools within the states. The local governments evaluate and assess all the local schools to check their progress in achieving their goals.

The education debate. Policy Press, 2017. Jacob, Brian. The changing federal role in school accountability. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 36.